


Barnes, Barton, and Nine Brats

by AvaKelly



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Comfort, Deaf Clint Barton, Finding Family, Infinity Gems, Kid Fic, M/M, Magic, Nightmares, Oblivious, developing feelings, the guardians of the galaxy meet earth's tiniest heroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7904350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaKelly/pseuds/AvaKelly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a massive battle, the Avengers are turned into small children. All except for Barton and Barnes who are delegated to caring for them while Pepper, Jane, and Bruce are trying to find a cure. In the midst of the chaos caused by crayons, wet tissues, and bed time stories, Bucky and Clint obliviously discover things about each other.<br/>~<br/><i>It's been two months and eight days of them in quarantine. Six weeks minus a day since the daddy incident. Thirty eight days since the first time Clint's heart leaped in his chest with that familiar ache. Twenty nine since the butterflies took permanent residence in his belly.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Barnes, Barton, and Nine Brats

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> This is my entry for the WinterHawk Big Bang. De-aged trope with a twist. Many thanks to Molly, Hraf, and the Cat for their support during the development of this story. My appreciation to the artist working on the accompanying art for this piece! Link to art coming up soon, keep an eye out for it.  
> Thank you for reading, feedback appreciated! o/

If one were to ask Clint when all of this started, he'd tell you. Exactly sixteen days, four hours and a lot less chaos ago. He sighs, lest he disturbs Barnes' sleep, which would disturb everyone's sleep. Although Clint can take off his hearing aids for his own protection, the betrayed look Barnes gave him yesterday still haunts him. He tries to relax as he leans against the headboard.

So it started when Tony received a cryptic communication from Asgard before all channels went silent and two weeks later a portal opened in the sky.

They were waiting for it. All intel suggested something big was coming, and apparently that something had recruits on Earth. Clint and Nat both received confirmation from their underground sources that mercenaries were being hired in significant numbers.

They prepared. They trained and kept an eye out. Well, mostly Tony did, because after the fall of SHIELD, there were not many resources they could tap.

It's why they were all there. All Avengers, old and new, facing magic and bullets and robots and everything at once. Even Barnes, although he shouldn't be anywhere near civilization right now, but Steve's convincing when he wants to be. Clint was definitely  _ not _ well after being forced to attack his own colleagues, certainly not free of night terrors, and incredibly unstable. It took him over a year to come back to himself, and even so, sometimes it feels like he's still trapped in the spell Loki cast on him.

So Clint was more than wary about throwing Barnes into a massive fight, mere months after the fall of SHIELD. Clint was pulled out of his own head quickly and painlessly only for a couple of days, while Barnes was _ tortured for years _ . It wasn't fair to the guy. Just... his concern came out of Clint's mouth as mistrust which made Barnes stare at Clint coldly and made Steve wax on about Barnes' merits as a fighter.

Clint tried to apologize while Tony deposited him and Barnes on a rooftop, but his brain to mouth connection was clearly backfiring.

And so was the fight.

Within minutes, they found themselves surrounded, and they fought. Barnes went down to street level a couple of times, while Clint swung himself off a building only to be caught by Thor at the last moment.

They fought mercenaries and robots that looked like a crossbreed between crash test dummies and the chitauri. They fought until a large sphere flew through the portal, hovering in mid air, announcing Thanos as the new ruler of Earth.

And then they fought some more, desperately, slowly but surely losing ground, overwhelmed.

That was when a guy calling himself Starlord popped up on the surface of the sphere with a "Hey guys, we got it covered on this side, keep up the good fight!" which was way too cheery for the gravity of the situation - and was that a talking raccoon? - but the portal was closed between one blink and the next.

They rejoiced, then got up and continued, because bogies were still running around the city, causing mayhem, but they were surely winning this time.

That's when all went to futz, for the lack of a better word. Actually, Clint can think of a few others, but he'd rather not start swearing out loud right now.

It was one of those convergence moments when Thor was throwing Mjolnir, catching on the tail of a lightning, when everyone was on the ground except for him and Barnes, and a cloud of multicolored smoke poofed over the streets as the sphere disintegrated. He and Barnes had to watch, breaths baited, while waiting for it to dissipate.

And it left behind  _ children _ . All of the Avengers plus a SWAT team and a couple of mercenaries. Tiny things screaming their heads off.

Only... they weren't really kids. Not at first, anyway.

They were their grownup selves in small bodies and they were all talking over each other. Vision whooshed around them in circles, repeating broken sounds that made zero sense. And Clint reaped the wonderful sowing of his mouth running by itself, because when he turned to Barnes on that overheated rooftop, Barnes cut him off with a demand to hurry down to their team. Clint wrapped an arm around Barnes and rappelled them both down in seconds. It earned him a half glare instead of the scowl he caught Barnes throwing at him all day.

So apparently having their teammates stare at them from the ground in their oversized undershirts was the end of the impending blurting of inappropriate things on Clint's behalf. Because he had a track record of doing that, especially when tired, and then was not the moment to tell Barnes how mesmerized Clint was with him, because Barnes was strong and a survivor and it made Clint look at himself with less disdain.

First thing they all asked was why an android of all things would be shaped like a child. It made no sense and Clint wholeheartedly agreed. Vision was uncooperative, but Wanda managed to convince him to float around them so that they could regroup and solve the situation. Their little feet, though, caused two scrapes and a tumble three seconds into their trip back to the quinjet. There was only one thing they could do.

Barnes was not happy for having to carry three of the brats, Steve and Tony tucked under his arms, Sam on his shoulders. Clint bounced Natasha on his hip until she threatened gruesome murder, but to his defense, he was pretty much exhausted.

Rhodey demanded Clint's shoulders and tried to high five Sam, but they couldn't reach the other, so Barnes shifted closer to Clint with a roll of his eyes. Clint's grin earned him another eye roll, this one accompanied by a small smile. Ok, so maybe Clint didn't screw up entirely.

Wanda and Pietro, the smallest of the bunch, were refusing to let go of each other, so Clint scooped them up on his free arm, held them close to his chest while Natasha patted their heads and told them something too low for Clint to hear over the chaos, but this was one of her specialties, to calm others. Thor was the tallest kid there, so he walked back to the quinjet between Clint and Barnes theorizing about the origin of the magic, dragging Mjolnir behind him.

Of course, that was when Steve and Tony started fighting each other.

By the time they reached the Tower, they were already exhausted.

Strangely, the kids fell asleep a few hours later,  _ all at the same time _ . They woke up just children, without prior memories of their lives and that was when the fun really started, because Clint and Barnes were the only ones left to look after the gaggle, while everyone else scrambled for a cure, Pepper and Jane at the front lines. They even managed to track Banner down to help, even if through online communication only.

And now they've got nine kids when neither is equipped to even deal with children.

Clint draws in a deep breath, lets it out slowly. Around them, the bedroom is quiet, save for the occasional sniffle and shuffle. It's a good thing Tony has such a huge bed, because they would all be sleeping on the floor right now since the kids refused to sleep in their own rooms. And truth be told, Clint's not as young as he used to be. His back gives a twinge and he carefully slides lower, until he's rested comfortably against the pillows.

Soft, pure, fluffy pillows.

He dares close his eyes, because he is so very tired, against his better intentions.

~

Bucky listens to Barton's breathing until it evens out before opening his eyes and taking in the small bodies tucked around them on the bed.

It's been two rather... interesting days.

Exhausting, but. Well, Bucky has never seen anything like this, ever. He had taken care of a little sister, but that was just one kid. Now he's surrounded by ten, Barton included, and Bucky is not trained for this.

After the battle, they got back to the tower for quarantine and medical tests. Three floors were sealed, the docs came in wearing hazmat suits, blood was drawn, swabs were taken, baths were given, cake was consumed.

And then everyone fell asleep on the living room floor, save for him and Barton, who, despite his bloodshot eyes and swaying on his feet, despite the way he was inhaling coffee directly from the pot, was adamant on helping Bucky keep an eye on his Avenger fellows.

Maybe he wasn't such an asshole after all. The way Barton had spoken against Bucky joining the fight grated on his nerves, because he  _ was _ capable. He  _ wasn't _ broken. And he was going to prove it to him.

Yet...

Earlier, they managed to put everyone to bed only by convincing them neither he nor Barton will leave them alone. Natasha didn't want to let go of Barton, Pietro didn't want to let go of Wanda, both twins held with their tiny hands onto Natasha like she was a lifeline. Vision wouldn't part with Mjolnir, but neither would Thor. Speaking of which, Vision replicated every movement Thor made, which was weird, but Bucky was grateful he wasn't flying. Which left Steve, Sam, Tony, and Rhodey, who were all huddled together around Bucky's legs.

Bucky made the mistake of falling asleep.

Because that's when the latest nightmare decided to stop by for a quick visit. His scream woke up all the kids, and in the agitation Barton was the only one calm. With his hands on Bucky's shoulders, he spoke slow and low, repetitive words that made no sense but kept Bucky's heart from tearing through his ribs.

And after the kids were back asleep, Barton even promised to stay up so he can wake Bucky if there were signs of more nightmares.

It's like he knows.

Like he understands what it feels like to be helpless in the face of past actions.

To be your own judge, jury, and executioner.

To need to give yourself to the world in penance.

To hold on to the hope you're not entirely gone, not entirely broken.

Now Barton is asleep again and Bucky watches his profile in the dim light, wondering what makes him tick, what makes him breathe.

~

"I ordered some clothing and toys," Pepper says from the screen. "Until we know what's causing this, we thought it best you all remain in quarantine."

Bucky nods. Next to Pepper, Jane pops up looking ragged and worn.

"The other children are at the CDC headquarters being tested," Jane says, "but I managed to convince them to let you stay here. All of you need to give me more blood samples later, though."

On second glance, Pepper isn't so fresh herself, and Bucky shivers. Their partners in life are now small children. If Steve forgetting who Bucky is stings this much, he can't even begin to imagine how it must be for them. How it must be for Barton who stares at the monitor unmoving.

They need to fix this.

They  _ have _ to fix this.

"Ok," Barton mumbles. "But send food, too. And coffee, many coffee."

Pepper's smile is kind. "Clint, don't..." and then she's pointing at Bucky in a way that makes Bucky want to hide. "Don't let him drink too much coffee and make sure he sleeps."

"Yes, ma'am," Bucky answers automatically.

Barton snickers next to him and Bucky elbows him.

"Sirs," JARVIS interrupts, "it appears that the kitchen is on fire."

~

"You're the worst!" Tony yells as he stomps his foot.

He's so small. They're all tiny lives that now depend on him and Barton, and Bucky shivers.

"I said no screwdrivers in the living room. And no throwing them at Steve."

"But he catches them," Tony whines.

Steve is seated on the edge of the sofa, eyes fixed on the floor, his hands in his lap. He has a bandaged cut on the forehead where a screwdriver grazed him. On the other end of the sofa, Sam and Rhodey watch, wide eyed. Oh, they're at fault, too, for cheering on this nonsense.

"There will be no throwing of anything," Bucky says. "And no participating of any kind," he points to Sam and Rhodey, at which both boys nod. Bucky turns back toward Tony. "Are we clear, Anthony?"

Tony opens his mouth, no doubt to retaliate, and that's when something wet hits the side of Bucky's head.

Natasha squeaks from where she stands in the doorway to the kitchen, then she takes off just as the wet tissue plops down from Bucky's cheek and into his hand. It smells like orange juice and he drops it into the empty bowl that used to hold gummy bears on the coffee table. Barton runs after the small redhead whirlwind not a second later.

"... soooooweeeeee," comes next in a long shout from Pietro, and how much air can the boy fit in his tiny lungs is beyond Bucky. "Cwint, soweee."

Even without his powers, Pietro is fast on his feet and soon he runs right under Barton's legs, who startles, fumbles, and promptly drops on his ass while managing not to fall on Pietro in the process.

Bucky's never been happier that the children seem to not have tapped their superpowers yet.

Why is Vision shaped like a kid, though... that's weird. And the android's been very silent so far. Bucky steals a glance to the corner of the room where Vision and Thor are carefully putting together a castle of wooden blocks. Thor's been good, he does what he's told, when he's told, helps pour juice into glasses at dinner, is an overall ray of sunshine. And Vision imitates all he does. It's also fortunate that Barton convinced them to set Mjolnir safely in a closet and leave the hammer there.

But, back to the problem at hand.

Barton is drenched in orange juice, Natasha is biting her lip while carefully peeking into the room from the hallway, while Pietro tries to wipe at Barton's chest with his hands.

Bucky is caught between laughing and... well, laughing, but a small hand inserting itself between his metal fingers draws his attention. Wanda is standing next to him, holding onto the metal as if it's not capable of hurting her, entirely unperturbed.

"Boys," she says, smacking her lips with disdain.

From the doorway, Natasha saunters over, chin up and red curls bouncing with every step. She grabs Bucky's other hand.

"Boys," she repeats, eyebrows raised.

Bucky presses his lips together, mirth already shaking his middle. Barton narrows his eyes at him.

"How come  _ they _ can throw!" Tony yells, small arms raised in the air, then he rotates on a heel. "Come on Rhodey, we're not playing with them anymore."

He can't help it, Bucky laughs quietly under Barton's scowl. But the frown turns into a smile not a minute later, while Tony pulls at one of Rhodey's feet who doesn't want to leave Sam behind. Barton brings a panicking Pietro closer to himself, shushes him and reassures, while Steve looks dejected at them.

"Guys," Bucky says, "let's read Steve a story to get better faster, what do you say?"

The girls approve, a little too loudly, and soon Bucky finds himself on the sofa with a handful of sniffling Steve curled up against his chest. Steve, who doesn't know who Bucky is, doesn't remember anything, but Bucky doesn't have the luxury of lingering over the heartache it brings. His best friend forgot him, and late at night when everyone's asleep, Bucky often wonders if it's the same for the adult Steve, when Bucky lacks precious memories of them.

Barton brings over a book and a wet wipe for Bucky's face before he takes Pietro to get them both cleaned. Thor and Vision crawl closer to sit against the coffee table, while the other boys huddle around. Even Tony caves, insisting on holding Steve's hand.

But then Barton returns, sits against Bucky's legs and somehow manages to fall asleep and drool on Bucky's knee.

That's it. They all need firm sleep schedules, or they'll spend every night dodging screwdrivers and orange juice at 3am.

~

Barnes, the treacherous fiend, hid all the coffee, and Clint glares at him, arms crossed.

"It's nap time," Barnes repeats in a low whisper.

Clint growls.

"Bad puppy," comes next and what.

The laughter that overtakes Clint is sudden and shakes him enough to flood his system with sweet, sweet endorphins. Barnes smiling at him even with dark circles under his eyes is not helping with the fact that Clint really wants to take that nap right now. He draws air in through his nose, because laughter or not, he's been pressing his hand over his mouth so as not to wake the kids.

"Fine," he says, lying down on the empty space on the mattress the kids left especially for him.

They've been doing that for the past week. Clint's been getting a little bit of rest, even with small feet kicking him in the shin once every few minutes, but Barnes has been always the one staying up. Yeah, Clint gets it, nobody wants a repeat of their first night, with the screaming and the tears. But still.

Between feeding the children and keeping them entertained enough not to cause another fire, they've been wrung dry. And Clint might be the one to sing them to sleep and clothe them, but Barnes has been cooking and cleaning. And helping Clint with washing them, which has not been an easy task. All Clint managed on his own was to clean their faces and hands. They need a bath every night, even Vision who somehow ends up walking around with crayon stains on his chest.

Barnes deserves sleep just as much as Clint does.

So he pats the mattress next to him. Barnes only hesitates for a moment before he lies down.

"JARVIS," Barnes says, "wake me up if my heart rate increases."

That's actually a good idea.

"Same here," Clint says.

And now Barnes looks at him with interest. Clint can already see questions forming in his mind, so he does the adult thing and removes his aids. But the nightstand is too far from him when he looks over, so he huffs just as long fingers wrap around his own holding the devices. Clint lets Barnes have them, and soon they're safely on the other nightstand.

Clint signs a thanks, gets back a 'you're welcome' and only as he slides into sleep does he realize that Barnes signed it back.

~

"We don't know what's causing it," Jane says.

Clint sighs from where he sits next to Barnes in the conference room. They've just managed to get everyone absorbed by Lilo and Stitch in the living room, with JARVIS having all sensors tuned on the kids. Still, Jane and Bruce are splitting one monitor while a video feed from the living room is on the other, just to be safe.

"All blood samples are clean. They're human children, except for Thor and Vision," Bruce says.

"How so?" Barnes asks.

"Well, it's expected that Vision is still an android. We had JARVIS scan him and his schematics match the original perfectly, albeit at a smaller scale," Jane explains. "Thor is Asgardian, so there are slight differences in his DNA. But there's nothing peculiar about those."

"They don't have any powers," Clint chimes in.

"There's no sign of Steve's serum in his blood," Bruce adds. "No sign of genetic manipulation in Wanda and Pietro's either. Also, both of you are unchanged from before, we compared samples."

Barnes nods slowly. "So whatever affected them was in that smoke."

"Indeed," Jane says. "It doesn't seem to be contagious or you'd both be kids by now. We can't figure out a cause, and without a cause--"

"You can't figure out a cure."

Silence settles between the four of them and something stings behind Clint's eyelids. He swallows it back, refuses to think of Nat being lost forever. He misses his best friend so much, it's... next to him, Barnes is staring at his own hands. Right, they're both in the same boat and Clint shifts closer. He's relieved when Barnes leans back into Clint, shoulder to shoulder.

"We're not giving up," Bruce says.

Barnes looks back up with a nod and Clint takes a peek at the security feed from the living room. The kids are sitting on the sofa, curled up against each other, all save for Vision, who's now standing and staring at the wall. But then he turns his purple body around, sits back next to Thor.

"I don't get why Vision was affected," Clint says. "If the purpose was to strip away the powers from the Avengers, then why make Vision small. He can still fly from what we can tell, though he isn't."

"What's he doing then?"

"He's mimicking Thor," Barnes says.

On screen, they get matching frowns from both Jane and Bruce.

"Wait," Jane says. "Wasn't Vision brought to life by Thor and Mjolnir?"

"There was a lot of lightning, yeah," Clint replies.

"I watched the fight footage," Bruce adds, "and the lighting bounced off of Vision right before it hit the sphere."

"So do you think he's some sort of conduit?" Jane asks him.

"Could be," Bruce shrugs.

Clint's skin breaks in goosebumps with every word, just as the gleam of the mind stone catches in the corner of his eye from the video feed on the other monitor.

"It's the stone," he rasps, tapping his index finger on his own forehead.

Jane's eyes widen with realization. "It makes sense! That's why they don't remember us."

"But not why they're children," Bruce counters.

"Thor said there are six stones. We already know the cube manipulates space, and we had that encounter with the reality stone last year. Actually, I had it, but that's not important. Maybe a combination of them caused all this," Jane finishes, raises both hands helplessly.

"We lost contact with Asgard," Clint adds. "Do you think they were attacked and the cube stolen?"

Matching shrugs follow. "Could be," Bruce says.

"Where's the reality stone?" Barnes asks.

"As far as I know," Jane replies, "it was taken to a collector for safe keeping. Odin didn't want both it and the cube together in Asgard's vault."

Barnes rubs a hand over his face. "Is there any way to contact Asgard?"

The way Jane presses her lips together as she shakes her head is telling of how much she's already tried.

"Ok, here's what we do," Bruce speaks. "Me and Jane will go over the data we have of Vision's stone, you two keep an eye on him."

A phone pings and Jane looks away for a few moments. "Darcy tracked down Dr. Selvig, they're on their way to New York. He knows better how Vision was made, so maybe we'll get some answers."

"All right," Bruce says. "Let's get back to work. We'll check in soon."

And he's gone. Jane gives her goodbyes as well before the monitor goes completely dark.

Clint finds himself pressing his fingers over his mouth, the weight of helplessness pushing down on him so hard that it almost feels like physical pain.

"We'll get them back," Barnes rasps next to him.

He nods, trying to shove away all the other, more gruesome possibilities from his thoughts. Clint's never been happier Barnes is here, with him, because as much as Clint seems fine, he isn't. And the only thing keeping him together right now is Barnes' strength. Clint's seen it in his eyes from time to time, the desperation. The dread. But even so, Barnes shakes it off, puts on a smile and cares for their friends, dragging Clint along as well.

~

Bath time means Clint gets drenched, head to toe. How he manages, it's beyond him, because, except for the twins, the other kids can pretty much wash themselves. Save for the shampooing. And the rinsing of all suds. Ok, the kids need help, but mostly Clint is there to make sure they don't fall and crack their skulls.

Thor and Vision are always first and they're the easiest, because Thor is self-sufficient and Vision mimics everything. All Clint needs to do is make sure Vision's properly clean. Much like his larger counterpart, the android is waterproof, doesn't require food or hydration. These two are easy.

The twins are next. Nat always insists to help and yeah, she does a great job with the shampoo, but it happens that, without fail, Clint gets a face full of water spray from the shower head. About this is when Barnes joins the fun, but the sneaky bastard just waits in the doorway, towels at the ready. Clint hands over wet kid after wet kid as he gets more and more soaked himself, while Barnes wraps them up and deposits them in bed without getting one drop on himself.

Sam, Rhodey, and Steve are pretty much fun surprises every time. It's almost like they synchronize. Clint swears they're doing it on purpose. One of the three is making a mess, invariably, while the other two behave. It's anyone's bet who'll be the rascal during each bath.

Which leaves Tony, who is surprisingly patient. He also likes to be last, because this way Clint will stay with him longer. First time Tony told him that, Clint's heart clenched in his chest. He and the adult Tony had spent more than one night reminiscing of the times when having parents was painful, but losing them was even worse. Their moms, especially. Maybe Tony didn't mean to confess he likes it when Pepper washes his hair, reminding him of his mother doing the same way back, but Clint can humor him now without repercussions.

So Tony sits there until the water grows cold, plays with the bubbles Clint makes for him, and talks. His mouth runs a mile a minute, about his day, what toys are best, what soap is made of, his theory on why water is clear, how Steve messed up his toast by putting butter on it, why Rhodey's his best friend. It's fun to listen to his unfiltered, untainted view on the team. Refreshing even.

"Clint?" Tony asks while Clint is getting ready to rinse for the last time and Clint hums. "Are you my daddy?"

As Clint blinks, blindsided by the question, something shifts in the corner of his eyes. Barnes is in the doorway, smirk on his face and Clint sends him a glare. Yeah, he's not gonna be any help with this one.

"Not really," he says carefully, but Tony's face still falls.

"Why not? You don't like me enough? I can be better, promise," comes back so fast, Clint almost doesn't pick everything up.

"Hey, hey, no," he stops Tony's small hands from flailing. "Look, if you want me, I'll be your daddy until you grow up. How's that?"

"Yes!"

Now he has a handful of soaped up Tony in his arms. Good thing Clint was already drenched.

"Come on, daddy," Barnes waves the towel. "Everybody's waiting for story time."

Clint flips him off. Stupid Barnes and his stupid smirk and Clint's stupid heart panging sweetly in his chest.

But he hurries, doing his best to hide his heated cheeks, and soon Tony is deposited in Barnes' arms.

"Can Bucky be my mommy?" Tony asks after his head pops out of the towel, followed closely by a yawn.

Clint can't manage to stop the full laughter that overtakes him. Ok, he doesn't even  _ try _ to stop it. Barnes' face is too precious as he glares from Tony to Clint and back.

That night Clint falls asleep before the kids even do, light and content.

~

Barton is really good with the children. Must be from not being far from one himself, Bucky reckons, but he's gotta give the guy credit. He's also adorable when he falls asleep with a random child in his arms and it makes Bucky shake his head at himself. Barton is  _ not _ adorable. Not. He's just a fella who keeps spilling coffee on himself.

"Ready?" Sam asks from the other side of the gym.

"Bring it," he answers, bracing himself as best he can on the mattresses lining the floor.

He's been teaching the kids to jump on his shoulders and it's been so much fun. None of them can actually jump that high, but Bucky lifts them in the air like airplanes, causing endless giggling and choirs of 'I'm next, no  _ I'm _ next.'

From the sidelines, Barton threatens to show them how it's done and Bucky can't stop wondering if he's as flexible as the adult Natasha when it comes to fighting.

Sam runs and Bucky catches him, spins him in mid air.

"'m a biiiiiiird," Sam yells, followed by loud cheers.

It takes his mind a bit off of the reality of things. There's no progress on determining what's causing this and it weighs on him.

Soon, the kids tire and Barton sends them upstairs, Thor in charge, to choose a movie to watch before dinner.

"You really think you can jump on me?" Bucky's mouth asks without his input. Damn.

Barton turns with half a smile that raises goosebumps all over Bucky's skin. But instead of attacking, as Bucky was expecting, Barton draws a deep breath, raises his arms, bends his knees a couple of times.

"What are you doing?"

"Stretching," he replies, almost bored.

And Bucky never sees him coming. To his defense, he's out of practice, that's why Barton manages to pull that crush-with-the-thighs move Natasha makes. Bucky's back hits the mattress before he can react, Barton crouching above him, his arms on each side of Bucky's face.

"You were saying?"

He doesn't remember what he was saying because Bucky is lost in the mischief of Barton's smile. The moment is gone too quickly, though, because Barton raises to his feet, pulling Bucky along.

"Gonna make sure they don't blow up the tv," Barton throws his thumb over his shoulder, then runs off.

With a sigh, Bucky removes his t-shirt, wipes at his face. Looks like he can squeeze half an hour of workout if he hurries. Then shower, then dinner... what can he cook that's quick and--

"Does it hurt?"

Bucky spins.

In the doorway, Natasha is looking around the frame, wide eyes fixed on Bucky's shoulder.

Before this whole thing started, he'd been asked, with various degrees of curiosity, about the arm. How'd they put it in? How's it powered? How's it feel?

Each and every question remained unanswered.

Not because Bucky didn't want to answer, but because he didn't know how. He had no idea how to explain without breaking Steve's heart. No clue on how to tell Sam the arm doesn't feel like anything. Just empty space that he can use. And he only knows it's there because it makes every nerve connecting to it pulse painfully up into the base of his skull and all the way down his spine. Some days it's worse, others it's barely a ghost sensation.

Now, faced with the innocence of the question, he can't lie or avoid.

"A little," he says.

Natasha bites her lip and Bucky sits down, cross legged, then waves her closer. She follows slowly, raises an arm when she stops in front of him.

"Clint gave me this," she says, pointing at the colorful bandaid on the back of her hand that she scraped the day before.

"I don't think that--"

"I have more," Natasha continues, pulling another one from her pocket. "Won't hurt as much."

The smile that pulls at Bucky's lips feels bitter, but thankfully she doesn't notice, because her own face brightens when she matches it.

"You can put it here," he tells her, pointing at a spot where the plate connects with flesh, then helps her unwrap it.

It has a horrible purple cat on it, but Natasha is careful in applying it, tongue sticking out the side of her mouth.

"Done!"

"Thank you."

Bucky thinks that's that, but she places her small fingers on the metal.

"Is very pretty," she whispers and a lump forms in Bucky's throat. "I asked Clint for one and he said I have to be strong and big like you first."

"Really?" Bucky manages.

"Yeah, 'cos you're the strongest boy he ever met."

Fuck. Bucky blinks fast, and scoops Natasha up in his arms even faster, before she sees.

"Let's go see about that movie," he says, thankful his voice doesn't waver.

"I wanna watch Mulan," Natasha mumbles from where her chin is hooked over his shoulder, "but the boys don't wanna."

"We'll make them," Bucky promises, wiping his cheeks with his free hand.

His right hand.

Because. Because the kids are not afraid of it, this weapon. And... ugh. Fucking Barton. He had to go and be all... all... ugh!

~

It's been two days and Bucky doesn't really know how to interact with Barton anymore. He's sure Natasha didn't lie, he asked her again. And Bucky is confounded. He thought Barton had no faith in him.

The night is hot, the kids sleeping limbs askew on the bed. Barton's nowhere in sight when Bucky blinks awake with a crick in his neck and the edge of the book digging into his cheek. He's fallen asleep while reading, it seems.

He finds Barton on the terrace of the penthouse, outside the large glass doors. Jane told them a few days ago it was fine to go out there, the kids could use some sun, what with the confinement.

"Didn't know you smoked," Bucky says as he approaches, watching Barton puff out with half a cigarette in his hand.

"I don't," comes back with a pat to the concrete and Bucky sits next to him.

"Then why...?"

"Needed a drink, but I don't drink," Barton returns, offers him the cigarette and Bucky takes it.

The taste of tobacco is as vile on his tongue as he remembers.

"Everyone used to smoke in the trenches," he says.

Barton says nothing, but shifts closer, and Bucky watches the cigarette burn out slowly until only the filter remains. It's silent and comforting and just what he needs.

"Why didn't you want me out fighting?" Bucky asks, his voice with a lot less volume than he intended.

It earns him a surprised look, eyebrows raised, before Barton slumps next to him, leaning his forehead on his bent knee.

"My mouth is stupid," he says. "I didn't mean you shouldn't, just meant Steve should let you choose and not throw you out there. We could've taken them, kept you safe."

Bucky's forehead crinkles with a frown as he takes that in. "It felt good to be needed," he admits.

"Sorry," comes back in a whisper and Bucky's hand wraps itself around the other's shoulder.

"'s fine, Barton," Bucky returns, and it really is. "Wasn't sure of myself anyway, still ain't."

"Yep, the old feeling of inadequacy after brainwashing. Apply three times a day and once after each nightmare," Barton adds, snapping his fingers.

"You've been through this."

A beat follows, as Barton looks at him, mouth hanging open.

"Ok, first? Call me Clint."

Bucky scowls at him. He gets a raised eyebrow for his efforts. "Only if you stop calling me Barnes all the time."

"Deal," Bar--Clint says, hand extended, and Bucky shakes it with a nod.

"So?"

Clint scratches his head with a sigh. "Guy named Loki used the mind stone on me right before the chitauri invasion."

"This wasn't in the debrief file."

"I know," Clint says. "Vision asked us to keep it out. He's not too proud of that one."

"But he wasn't at fault, was he?"

With a long inhale, Clint shrugs. Yeah, Bucky knows that feeling. Which reminds him...

"Thanks for keeping me calm after my nightmares," Bucky says. More like mumbles, but Clint's already seen him with wild eyes and panic shaking his body.

"Any time you need it," Clint returns with that small smile that keeps distracting Bucky at the wrong moment.

He clears his throat with another nod. His hand is still on Clint's shoulder, though, and Bucky leaves it there. It feels like a connection, finally.

The quiet of the night stretches again around them, its air cooling pleasantly as the sky's colors lighten toward the east.

"Hey," Clint says, "don't you find it weird that all the kids are speaking English?"

"Huh."

"Yeah, the twins should speak Sokovian if they were reverted."

"And Natasha should use Russian."

"Asgardian for Thor."

Bucky looks at Clint just as Clint turns to Bucky.

"They didn't revert."

And they rush to call Jane, who's not happy to be woken after only an hour of sleep, but this is something new, something else they can work on.

It gives them hope.

~

"So, Thor," Clint asks, "what do you wanna be when you grow up?"

They're doing the dishes at the twin sinks in the kitchen, Clint and Bucky washing, Thor and Vision wiping, perched on foot stools. They're clumsy, but nothing's broken so far. The other kids are being entertained by JARVIS who's playing color games with them in the living room on the tv screen. And this is their chance to find out more about why Vision behaves the way he does. Perhaps even try to get him talking. They've discussed it with Jane and Bruce, been keeping a closer eye on the android all day.

Thor looks up at Clint with bright eyes and a big smile. "Astronaut!"

"Wow, that's a great job," Clint says. "Vision, what about you?"

Vision stills next to Bucky and when Bucky looks over, the mechanisms of his eyes are spinning and re-locking, but no answer comes.

"He wants to be like JARVIS," Thor says. "Take care of us."

"Did he tell you that?" Bucky asks.

"Yes," Thor replies, carefully placing a plate on top of the stack in front of him.

"He spoke to you?" Clint adds and Thor shakes his head. "Then how do you know?"

"We know."

"We who?"

"We," Thor says, and turns to point into the living room through the open door.

Bucky looks at Clint and sees understanding. Sounds like Vision is indeed a conduit and the kids' minds are linked somehow.

~

Two days later they're all in the living room with sheets of paper and watercolors, and Clint winces at the mess of stains on Tony's carpet. Ah, well. Everything's going great so far, no paint has gotten in hair yet.

One second Clint's rambling about the merits of purple, the next JARVIS sounds an alarm as a blue and orange ship lands on the terrace.

Clint looks over at Bucky just as a guy jumps out, then starts toward them at a run, when they both realize... Bucky is on his feet and at the glass doors just as the guy reaches them. It shouldn't be as funny as it is, the way the guy plasters himself on the door Bucky's just closed.

The kids all huddle with various degrees of wariness around Clint while Bucky glares at the intruders. From the ship, four more figures follows: a green woman, a raccoon with a gun, a blue man, and... a walking tree?

"What the futz," Clint whispers.

"Make way," the raccoon says as he pushes between the green woman and the blue man, only to laugh at the first guy that's now rubbing his face. "Ha ha, idiot!"

"Hey," the guy starts, but the green woman lifts a hand between them.

"You are both idiots, be quiet." And then she turns toward Bucky, crossing her arms. "We are here to help," she says. "I am Gamora, this is Peter Quill," she points at the first guy, the one that looks most like a human, "Rocket," the raccoon-like creature, "Drax," the blue man, "and Groot."

"I am Groot," the tree says, bending closer to the glass, and Clint takes a step back, the kids moving with him.

"No, no, no," Peter turns to Gamora, "we talked about this. It's Starlord. Star. Lord."

And with that, a full on bickering starts, because, except for Groot who's still staring inside the living room with interest, the other four are all talking over each other.

"That's the guy from the sphere, who closed the portal," Clint says.

"Or claims to," Bucky counters and Clint nods.

Yeah, one can never be too careful. But these guys... aliens... whatever, these look like they need a timeout, because Rocket is biting off Peter's arm while Drax tries to pull him off, and Gamora stands there speaking too low for Clint to hear, but she looks bored of the shenanigans. Yet, she does nothing. Oh, no, wait, she hits Peter in the shin.

"JARVIS," Clint calls, "do you still have those sprinklers outside the doors?"

"Yes, Clint," comes from the speakers.

He doesn't have to say it out loud, because, next thing he knows, water startles the group outside. It only takes two seconds, before JARVIS turns the sprinklers off.

"Thanks," Clint says.

"Ok, start over," Bucky tells the group through the glass. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I will murder you," Gamora glares, wet hair plastered over her face.

"We needed washing," Drax says, "we stink."

"Speak for yourself," Peter interrupts. "My manly musk--"

"Enough!" Bucky shouts.

Next to Clint, Wanda huddles closer and he picks her up, then looks around the room, cataloging what he can use as a weapon if need be.

~

Turns out Peter and his gaggle of aliens really are here to help. After an endless back and forth, Groot finally brought out a device that played a video recording of them closing the portal from the other side, with Peter using a matching sphere to communicate with the one here on Earth.

JARVIS is again supervising the kids in the living room while the visitors are with Bucky and Clint in the conference room. Pepper, Jane, and Bruce are on screens, looking displeased by the break of quarantine, but eager to hear the information the group brings. Clint scrunches his nose. They do need showers.

"We came here as fast as we could," Peter says, "but you know, Earth is far away. From everything. Like, at the edge of known space."

"It is not," Drax counters. "The engine broke down and Peter Quill had to lay with another oskavarian for the spare parts. It was entertaining, except for the trip to the garbage planet."

"I did not sleep with--"

"Long story short," Gamora interrupts, "we met some obstacles along the way, but we are here now to help you help us."

"Yeah, that," Peter adds with a snap of his fingers, spinning in his chair. Which means that now everyone has noticed the chairs rotate.

Clint exchanges a look with Bucky, then leans in. "Am I this bad?" he whispers, and is relieved when Bucky immediately and definitely shakes his head.

"Could you  _ elaborate _ on that?" Bruce says in a not so gentle tone, putting a stop to the collective spinning.

"Ok, here's the deal," Rocket stands on his chair, arms braced on the table in front of him. "There's this guy, Thanos, real big an' real bad, who wants to rule the galaxy. He got hold of some infinity gems despite our best indentations. Got one from Xandar, 'nother from Tivan on Knowhere."

Bucky mouths 'nowhere' at Clint and Clint shrugs.

"We think he attacked Asgard, too. Boy, I wouldn't mess with those bunch even if you payed me a billion credits. Those are some powerful--did you know their planet is not a real planet, but a frikin' disk? It defies the laws of logic!"

"Anyway," Gamora says, "we're going there after we finish here."

"Why  _ are  _ you here?" Jane asks.

"Thanos had a device," Gamora continues, "powered by the gems. We managed to retrieve it, but couldn't turn it off."

"Looks like Earth has its own power stone," Peter says with too much pride in his voice.

"If we can't disconnect all the gems, we can't disassemble the device and Thanos might get his hands on it again. Do you know where yours is?"

Bucky and Clint find themselves staring at each other again. This is going to be a very long day.

~

A few hours and a whole bunch of bickering later, they have the entire story. Thanos wanted all the stones, somehow managed to get three of them, then attacked Earth for the fourth.

In order to disconnect the link between the gems, they need to remove the stone from Vision. It would also undo whatever has been done to the Avengers, Rocket and Bruce and Jane have discussed it at length.

Which would most likely damage Vision beyond repair.

Clint swallows against the lump in his throat.

The kids are asleep, the guests in their assigned bedrooms, while Clint and Bucky sit on the living room sofa staring outside, the space dark around them. JARVIS, ever so helpful, is monitoring the living quarters for them.

Naturally, Pepper and Jane are anxious to get Tony and Thor back, while Bruce has been urging caution.

"I don't want Vision to die," Clint rasps.

"Me neither," comes back and when Clint looks over, Bucky is dejected, staring at the floor, lips pressed against each other.

Truth is, Clint doesn't want  _ this _ to end.

This thing where he can get away with plastering himself onto Bucky, where he can sleep next to the man without having to explain why he wants to, where he gets to be called daddy and feel needed.

He doesn't really want to go back to sleeping alone.

And it's a shame really, that he's only figured it out now, when it's about to end. It's been two months and eight days of them in quarantine. Six weeks minus a day since the daddy incident. Thirty eight days since the first time Clint's heart leaped in his chest with that familiar ache. Twenty nine since the butterflies took permanent residence in his belly.

Clint is screwed. Of all the people, it had to be Bucky Barnes. Steve's gonna kill him. No, wait, not if Clint takes some time off. Yeah, that will surely help get Bucky out of his head--

"Is it wrong," Bucky says, drawing Clint's attention, "that I don't want them to go back? Kinda like them small. And I'll be damned if I let us sacrifice Vision. None of them would want that. Don't you think so? Clint?"

He blinks. "Uh, yeah." Right, no, Bucky wasn't... Clint shakes his head. "What do we do?"

"Sirs, if I may," JARVIS speaks.

"Sure," Bucky says, "go ahead."

"I might have a solution. Vision is a machine powered by software, like I am. Only, I have buildings and sir's suits, while he has a vibranium body."

"What are you saying?" Clint asks.

"He is software and software can be backed up."

"You wanna download Vision."

"Precisely. But we'll need much more storage than I have available."

~

Pepper and Jane join them, finally, giving the kids reasons to swarm around the two women whose face they've only seen on screens. It takes the whole night and the next day to make preparations, but finally they're ready... and it's terribly anticlimactic, because it will still be a few more hours until JARVIS finishes to download what makes Vision Vision, and they're left to twiddle their thumbs for a while longer. In the meantime, they manage to wrap the kids in sheets as a precaution for the occasion. According to Bruce, instantly growing out of one's clothes is not a very pleasant experience.

It works.

The moment the stone is removed from Vision's forehead - and Bucky's been very careful, looks like the metal arm is indeed good for something other than destruction - all kids, including Vision's lifeless body, are restored to their adult selves.

And once the stone is returned, once the information is uploaded to the purple body again and Vision smiles at them, only then does everyone breathe in relief.

By the time they're all clothed, Bruce says his goodbyes from the monitor, and dawn breaks. The aliens are taken by Sharon and her CIA team on a 'tour of the city' which is code for debriefing, but Bucky is happy to escape that particular headache. The rays of first sunlight soon slant onto the surfaces of the kitchen and Bucky rolls his sleeves. Yesterday it was toast and eggs, how about some pancakes today.

He's already started a stack when Clint shifts around him like usual, brewing coffee, cutting up fruit and getting plates ready, one for each of them, on the counter. They all like different things on the pancakes, and Clint knows them better than Bucky, really. Clint sprinkles powdered sugar on Thor's plate just as Bucky sets down the last pancake on Wanda's and they both turn toward the table...

... to be met with eleven pairs of eyes staring at them.

"Aw," Clint says, "we forgot Jane and Pepper."

Bucky turns to the pan as fast as he can because his cheeks are flaming and Steve's already giving him  _ a look _ .

"We can share," Pepper says over the sounds of Clint placing plates on the table.

"Just tell him how you like it," Bucky growls as he works on two more portions.

The silence that follows after Pepper and Jane relay their preferences is deafening. Something purple catches the corner of Bucky's eye on the counter. Hearing aid. Clint, the traitor. 

He focuses on finishing preparing the meal, but then nothing stops Bucky from glaring at the side of Clint's head next to him while they all eat quietly.

"So this is what breakfast was like," Jane says.

"Every day," Natasha replies and Bucky turns to her.

"You remember," he says.

"We all remember everything," Steve returns.

Bucky's cheeks are gonna implode if they get any hotter. Tony smirks and Bucky scowls. But then everyone looks at Clint, who's obliviously digging into his pancakes.

Right.

Bucky retrieves the aids from the counter, sneaks a peek at his own reflection in the glass door of the microwave. It's not that bad, he's mostly just pink. Maybe no one noticed. Well then, he turns back, and never let it be said he lacks finesse, because he gets the hearing aids on Clint's ears faster than Clint can react.

"Thanks for breakfast, daddy," Tony says.

"You're welcome, baby," Clint replies, distracted, and pokes at the aids to adjust them as he turns in his chair to look up at Bucky. "What."

A beat and yeah. There it is.

Clint turns redder than a tomato. It's glorious.

Laughter follows as Bucky retakes his seat, and it feels good.

"What I don't understand is why we were children," Sam says.

"Been wondering the same," Rhodey chimes in, followed by more agreements and nods.

"I'm afraid I'm at fault for that," Vision says, in JARVIS' voice, and Tony startles so badly, he almost falls off his chair.

"What have you done to my JARVIS!"

"I assure you, I'm perfectly fine, sir," comes next from a wall speaker and Tony visibly slumps against the table.

"You," he points at Vision, "stop that."

"So why kids?" Steve speaks over Tony.

"I guess I was never a child and unconsciously wanted the experience," Vision admits.

Tony's face falls, Bucky's heart clenches, and Wanda hugs Vision, just as Clint's fingers slip around Bucky's wrist under the table.

"I can show you more," Wanda says.

"I'd like that," Vision returns.

"I just have one question," Thor raises to his feet and all eyes turn to him. "When are  _ we _ going to give  _ them _ ," he points at Bucky and Clint, "a bath, to be even."

Clint laughs loudly next to him, but he's gone in a blink, and Bucky almost gets caught as he runs after him.

It's good though, they're all back and it's a happy day.

~

"Hey," Steve's voice drifts from behind Bucky followed by footsteps.

He lifts a hand in a half wave without turning, and soon Steve is sitting next to him on the edge of the roof. Earlier, Peter and his companions left for Asgard, taking Thor and Jane with them. Since then, they've all been scattered around the tower and Bucky feels the emptiness around him more direly than he expected.

"Nat's been looking for you," Steve says, leaning against the metal banister to watch the terrace of the penthouse beneath them with Bucky.

"What for?"

"She said something about a bandaid," Steve returns and Bucky snorts. "Did you know Clint's leaving?"

That draws Bucky's attention fully. "What?"

"Yeah," Steve says. "He wants some time off, doesn't know when he'll be back. Nat's in a bad mood and Tony locked himself in the lab."

Bucky finds himself unable to move. "Clint can't leave."

"I can't stop him if he wants to go," Steve says.

No, Steve doesn't get it. Clint can't leave, because then who will stay up with Bucky through tremors, who will let him shake without judgment, who will... Bucky's chest tightens with the knowledge that Clint will be gone, sending his heart in a slow, heavy pulse against his ribs.

"Do you know why he's going?" Bucky breathes.

"Yes," Steve says, facing Bucky, those blue eyes of his as piercing as they've always been, reading all the way through Bucky, even those things that Bucky can't see himself.

Bucky looks down, where Clint and Wanda are talking in the corner of the terrace. Wanda seems upset while Clint is scratching the back of his head. From the side, a napkin hits Clint's head and Bucky leans over the banister in time to see Pietro stomp off. When he looks back up, Steve's staring at him.

"Come on, Buck, figure it out," Steve whispers and Bucky frowns.

"Figure what out," he mumbles, mostly to himself, as he looks at Clint again.

He's met with that smile, the small one that... but this time it's sad and it scares Bucky instead of fluttering around his chest, like usual.

Clint can't go. Can't. Bucky needs him. Bucky even...

"There you go," Steve says and Bucky startles, while Clint heads inside.

"Does he know that I--"

A headshake. "No. That's why he's leaving."

"Does everyone know that--"

Steve's hand comes to wrap around Bucky's shoulder in that supportive squeeze he does. Bucky used to hate it, but now it's exactly what he needs. "We remember everything, especially how you two kept looking at each other."

"But you can't be sure," Bucky counters.

"Except Clint told me."

"Did you threaten him?"

Steve winces. "Maybe a little. But you know, anything for my best guy."

"I thought Sam was your best guy now," Bucky jokes, but leans into Steve when his arm pulls Bucky closer in a half hug.

"You know what, you're right. You're Clint's now. I'm free."

"Ass," Bucky mutters and elbows Steve in the ribs.

Something's changed between them. Something for the better, where Steve doesn't tiptoe and Bucky doesn't hide. He likes it, this rediscovered friendship.

~

Bucky draws a deep breath, staring at the door to Clint's bedroom. He's never been in there before, now that he thinks about it.

He has spent the entire evening rewinding things in his head. The past two months, actually, trying to figure when was it that he's fallen this hard. And why he's been blind to it.

Wanda and Pietro have been glaring at him all evening, quite unsubtly, too. Ok, so if Steve is wrong about this, if Bucky is wrong, if Clint's reason to go is a whole different one, and if Bucky can't make him stay, then at least he can be sure Wanda will murder him in his sleep and he'll be spared the embarrassment.

And with a last swallow against his dry throat he knocks. He has no idea what he'll say, probably something stupid--

The door opens with a click and Bucky slips inside in time to see JARVIS' announcement of a visitor fade out from the tv screen mounted on the wall. Clint is sitting on the bed, aids on the nightstand.

Ok, change of plans. Maybe he doesn't need words after all, they never did, not really.

So he toes off his sneakers and sits against the headboard next to Clint just like he did every night after the kids were tucked in, while they took turns reading stories. And it takes a few seconds, but Clint scoots closer until they're pressed together, just like usual.

On screen, a captioned cartoon runs silently, but Bucky can't focus on it.

"Let's go dancing," he signs in front of himself. Or at least that's what he tries to sign, he hopes he hasn't botched it up. He's still learning.

Clint returns an affirmative and Bucky's heart rabbits in his chest.

"Stay," he adds, thankful that his hands aren't shaking.

But Clint doesn't move, and when Bucky looks at him, he's staring at Bucky.

Exactly four seconds pass, painfully slow, before Clint's hands fly in a frenzy in front of him and Bucky doesn't even understand one word. Clint's eyes are wide, his face apologetic, looking like he's going to bolt at any moment, so Bucky catches his hands between his, brings them up to his lips.

"Please stay," he says out loud, making sure to shape the words as well as he can.

Clint's eyes flicker from Bucky to the aids on the nightstand, and Bucky releases his hands. Soon Clint has the devices back on. "Did you get any of that," he asks, fingers twitching in mid air.

Bucky shakes his head.

"Good, 'cos I was just rambling about wanting to kiss you for weeks now--"

\--and that's when Bucky's mouth decides enough is enough and presses itself over Clint's.

Oh, it's the perfect thing to say. Or not to say, as it is, when Clint's arms wrap around Bucky, when his lips move against his, when his heartbeat echoes Bucky's own.

~

Bucky shifts, his head nestled in the crook of Clint's arm on top of his chest. His lips are numb, hadn't known kissing for an hour would do that, but he's so content, he can't wipe the smile off his face.

"I can see why the kids liked to sleep on you," he says and Clint hums. "You're warm."

"Yeah, yeah," Clint mumbles. "They were heavier than they looked, just so you know."

"Had you wrapped around their fingers," Bucky adds with a chuckle.

"You too," Clint returns, his fingers scratching lightly at the back of Bucky's head.

"I miss them," Bucky whispers.

A knock on the door interrupts them.

It's Pepper, looking frazzled. "Come with me, right now."

They follow, growing more and more worried as Pepper stomps on the corridors ahead of them.

"You know that big bed you've all been sleeping in?" Pepper says. "Nobody ever used it before. I told Tony, again and again, we don't need such a big bed. And you know what he told me earlier?"

"What?" Bucky dares ask when nothing else comes.

"Told you."

"Told you," Clint repeats.

"That's what he said," Pepper returns.

She pushes open the door to the bedroom they used to sleep in to reveal a bunch of very grown up Avengers fighting over who sleeps where.

"On second thought," Clint starts.

"How about I join you on that vacation," Bucky adds.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Pepper closes the door again, her eyes wide with panic. Clint wraps an arm around her, pulling her between them, and Bucky matches his stance.

"How about Italy?" Clint asks.

"Been there," Bucky says.

And they're all moving away from the chaos.

"I know a quiet retreat in Sweden," Pepper says. "And I have a plane."

"Great, when are we leaving?" Clint asks.

"Right now sounds good," Bucky returns.

"What about the--" Pepper lifts a finger, trying to look back, but Bucky tightens his hold.

"The brats with be fine for a few days. We'll leave them a note."

Pepper laughs at that. It's the first time Bucky remembers hearing it after the incident. Even though she's been smiling all day, she hasn't actually  _ laughed _ .

~

"You know, Jane and I had a bet on when you two will get together," Pepper says when they're somewhere over the Atlantic.

"Really," Bucky says and shifts a sleeping Clint against himself to rest more comfortably.

"Mhm," Pepper hums with a nod.

"Who won?"

"Both of you."

Her smile is warm and it fizzles through Bucky pleasantly.

"JARVIS, are you recording all of this?" Pepper asks, eyes back on the monitor that displays the ongoing bickering in the bedroom back at the tower.

"Certainly, Ms. Potts. Vision would like to know when you will return and who is in charge until then."

"Tell him he is," Clint mumbles with a sniffle.

Bucky kisses his forehead and slips his aids off. Clint is always bothered by them if he falls asleep like that and Bucky's always had to take them away... oh.

Right.

They've been doing this for a while now, been each other's support.

The smile still hasn't left Bucky's lips, and Bucky presses it against Clint's forehead again.

The night stretches around them, lights dim in the cabin. Across from them, Pepper sleeps. On screen, the Avengers slumber while Vision floats in the middle of the bedroom, watching them carefully. But then he looks at the camera, and two words overlap the image.

_ 'Thank you.' _

And Bucky is, as well, thankful to have this.

A family.

~

~End~

 


End file.
